Instagram to remove end-to-end encryption from DMs starting May 2026

Instagram

• Meta to end Instagram DMs encryption by May 2026
• Feature was rarely used and only available in select regions
• Users wanting encrypted chats are advised to use WhatsApp

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Meta is removing end-to-end encryption from Instagram direct messages, saying the feature was rarely used by people who had access to it. According to an update on its support page, encrypted messaging in Instagram DMs will “no longer be supported after May 8, 2026.”

Unlike WhatsApp, where end-to-end encryption is enabled by default for all messages, Instagram never rolled the feature out widely. Instead, it was available only in certain regions and had to be manually enabled for individual chats.

A Meta spokesperson said the decision was based on low usage of the feature.

“Very few people were opting in to end-to-end encrypted messaging in DMs, so we’re removing this option from Instagram in the coming months,” the spokesperson said. “Anyone who wants to keep messaging with end-to-end encryption can easily do that on WhatsApp.”

Meta’s announcement did not address whether any changes are planned for Messenger. The company began enabling end-to-end encryption by default on Messenger in 2023 after several years of development.

A current support page for the service states that Meta is still “in the process of securing personal messages with end-to-end encryption by default.”

The company’s approach to encrypted messaging has evolved over time. It first introduced end-to-end encryption on WhatsApp in 2016.

In 2019, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg outlined a broader “privacy-focused” strategy for the company’s messaging services, saying that encrypting private communications across its platforms was the right long-term direction. However, those plans were delayed. In 2021, Meta’s head of safety said the rollout would be pushed back until 2023 so the company could build stronger safety protections alongside encryption.

Encryption has remained a contentious topic for governments and child safety groups, which argue that the technology can make it harder for authorities to detect predators targeting children online. The issue has recently surfaced during a child safety trial in New Mexico, where internal Meta documents have been introduced as evidence. Those documents reportedly show company executives and researchers discussing the balance between user privacy and online safety.

In testimony shown during the trial, Zuckerberg said safety concerns played a significant role in the slow rollout of encryption on Messenger. “There’s been debate about this, but I think the majority of folks, from people who use our products to people who are involved in security overall, believe that strong encryption is positive,” he said.